This invention relates to a hunting blind and more particularly relates to a novel and improved blind adapted for hunting or observing fowl.
Various types of hunting blinds have been devised for hunting fowl, particularly ducks and wild geese, and these can generally be characterized as being portable and in many cases shaped to simulate a bird, such as, a wild goose. Representative examples are U.S. Pat. No. 4,067,346 to Husted, G. L., U.S. Pat. No. 4,086,931 to Hall, W. E., U.S. Pat. No. 4,110,941 to Scott, R. K., U.S. Pat. No. 4,375,488 to Hogan, M. J., U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,913 to Brice, R. V., U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,371 to Williams, D. C., U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,045 to Cardozo, D. W., U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,079 to Matthews, G. et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,960 to Williams, C. R., U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,346 to Kellett, K. C., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,787,632 to Kraut, R.
The art of designing blinds has been extremely active and crowded over the years. Nevertheless, there is a continuing need for a hunter""s blind which is in the form of a decoy but is sufficiently large that the hunter can sit or stand comfortably within the decoy with virtually unlimited viewing. In this respect, it is important that the hunter be able to selectively open the shell or decoy quickly and be in a position to immediately fire a gun.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide for a novel and improved blind which is sized to permit a hunter or observer to sit or stand comfortably therein and wherein the blind has an appearance simulating that of a goose or other fowl and can be rapidly opened by the hunter when birds approach the blind.
It is another object of the present invention to provide for a novel and improved blind which can be easily assembled and disassembled in a minimum number of steps and in assembled position will form a housing which covers the greater part of the hunter""s body.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide for a novel and improved blind which will attract approaching geese and at the same time cover the hunter""s body; and further wherein the blind is so constructed and arranged that it can be swivelled to afford an unrestricted view of approaching fowl, is readily movable into an open position when the hunter wishes to fire at the approaching fowl and can be readily disassembled without the necessity of removing fasteners or other attachment devices.
In accordance with the present invention, it has been found that, for purposes of attracting geese, the size of a decoy is of little or no importance. Rather, the shape and appearance of the decoy are major factors in attracting geese and that it be formed in such a way as to substantially completely conceal the hunter stationed in the blind; yet, make it as comfortable as possible for the hunter who must wait over extended time periods before sighting the approaching geese. Still another desirable feature is that the blind be as lightweight as possible, readily transportable and stowable when not in use.
In accordance with the present invention, a hunter""s blind has been devised which comprises a housing in the form of a hollow shell of generally oval-shaped configuration having segmental wall portions movable between a closed position in which the segmental wall portions define a substantially continuous wall and an open position in which said segmental wall portions are movable laterally and outwardly to form an upper opening large enough for the hunter to protrude and fire a gun at approaching fowl; and opposite sides of the shell terminate in a lower annular edge, a seat mounted for upward extension from a support structure into the housing, the housing being sized to accommodate a hunter in a seated position therein, and housing-support means for mounting the housing above ground level so that a hunter can be positioned comfortably within the housing and be able to sight approaching fowl or game. In the preferred form of hunter""s blind, the seat mounting means is adapted to mount the seat for rotation about a vertical axis and the shell or housing is rotatable with the seat to enable the hunter to periodically rotate the blind to view or sight over substantially 360xc2x0 or a full circle. The shell is configured to be in the form of a fowl with an upper recessed portion for the head of the hunter and a viewing aperture through the upper recessed portion; and the segmental portions of the shell can be readily opened and closed by the hunter by hinging about lower pivotal support means between the lower end of the shell and the shell support means. The segmental portions are preferably symmetrical halves in normally closed relation to one another but which will open laterally outwardly about the lower hinges to permit the hunter to rapidly aim and fire his gun.
There has been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.